Eastside Derby Girls Roll Into Shelby Township This Weekend

This Saturday, The New Rink is the stage of a bout between "Bridezillas" and "Bridesmaids."

It's not a wedding gone haywire, rather, the Eastside Derby Girls roller derby team's inaugural scrimmage after moving to Shelby Township from Roseville.

Although their promotion may be cause for fear in the hearts of locals, Adrienne McComsey knows that the participants are as close as a married couple.

"Our team is built on this idea of a strong sisterhood. We joke that it's like a sorority on wheels," said McComsey, the team president and captain (alias Motor City Kitty).

"We try to be the best athletes we can be and it just so happens that we have girls from (age) 19 to their mid-40s. It's not just skating—we practice 2-3 times per week to work out and so this weekend, we'll see where we're at before the actual season kicks off in October."

It's a time commitment with a huge payoff for McComsey, who said she also juggles work, school, and caring for two daughters as a single mother. 

"Almost half of the league is moms," she said. "When it's game time, we get it together and have a great time and that's really empowering."

McComsey joked that for a family, the bout is "cheaper than the movies" at a cost of $10 in advance of $12 at the door for adults and children under 12 are free with an adult.  

The scrimmage is a tune-up to the start of roller derby season for the team, which has performed at Great Skate in Roseville since 2011. McComsey said that about 40 derby girls representing several different leagues in Michigan (there are almost 40 leagues in the state total) will be skating.

The team is always recruiting men to referee their bouts and seeks to build on its legacy by adding a junior team with girls ages 8-17, including boy referees. For more information and to purchase advance tickets from the team, visit eastsidederbygirls.net.